Oct 24, 2018

42 Isis Mining Complex

Established in 2398 after a series of contentious legal battles over its ownership was resolved in favor of the mining conglomerate MALKEM Szöv Cooperative, the subsidiary Isis Anonymous Partnership Corp was formed to exploit the mineral resources of the asteroid 42 Isis.

This asteroid was discovered by N.R. Pogson. The name was chosen by Manuel John Johnson, director of the Radcliffe Observatory in Oxford. Although Isis is the name of an Egyptian goddess, the name was chosen in homage to Pogson's astronomer daughter, Elizabeth Isis Pogson.

Because most operations are automated, the complex maintains a relatively small crew ranging from 75-125 personnel under typical conditions in various technician, drone piloting, and administrative capacities. The habitat capacity includes simultaneous berths and personnel support for up to four freighters and a dozen frigates.

Over the subsequent 73 years since its establishment, the main body of the asteroid has been substantially mined out leaving only a fraction of the original asteroid’s body still intact. First in 2422, and then later in 2450 additional main-belt bodies were towed into place to take advantage of the complex’s pre-existing mining infrastructure.

The 42 Isis Mining Complex is an example of several modern features of mining processes, including:
- A permanent rotating habitat ring for off-work hours and general administration.
- A large circular docking port built into the main body of the asteroid with extensive capacity for mining drones, frigates, and ore freighters.
- Solar panel arrays and heat sinks extending from the center of the habitat ring.

Though some complexes of this type also include refining capabilities, the 42 Isis Mining Complex does not, being an example of a dedicated mining operation. Unprocessed material is loaded into freighters from the main docking port and then shipped to refineries elsewhere in the Belt, the final processed materials then being shipped throughout the Belt and beyond, most often back to Earth, Mars, or the Galilean polities.

Background story courtesy of Geoff Tuffli from Jubal project. Cheers.This free 3D model has a triangle count of 391.654. Download it from the provided servers.